LSU’s Paul Skenes, Dylan Crews Make Unique MLB Draft History

The Tigers’ tandem pulled off a feat never done before in the MLB draft era.

For the first time in MLB history, a pair of college teammates were selected with the first two picks of the draft. 

LSU stars Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews were the first two players off the board during Sunday’s 2023 MLB draft, selected by the Pirates and Nationals respectively. Fresh off their national championship victory over Florida, the Tigers’ two biggest superstars made unprecedented history at the draft.

Additionally, the selections mark just the third time in MLB history that a single school has produced multiple top-three picks in one draft.

Following Skenes and Crews off the board was outfielder Max Clark, whom the Tigers selected out of Franklin High School in Indiana. The No. 4 pick was Florida star Wyatt Langford, who was taken by the Rangers.

The last time two players from the same program were selected within the top three picks was the tandem of Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer, who were drafted No. 1 and No. 3 out of UCLA in 2011. 

Skenes, 21, recorded a 1.69 ERA across 19 starts this season, striking out 209 batters in 122.2 innings. He was the first pitcher to go No. 1 since Casey Mize in 2018.

Crews, an outfielder, slashed .426/.567/.713 with 18 home runs and 70 RBI across 71 games.